Farmstead record FLN 089 - Farmstead: Retreat Farm

Retreat Farm is a farmstead visible on the 1st Ed Os map. The farmstead is laid out in a regular E-plan with additional attached ranges. The farmhouse is detached and set away from the yard. The farmstead sits alongside a public road in an isolated location. This farmstead survives intact with modern sheds on the side.

A historic building record was made of farm buildings at Retreat Farm in advance of proposals for conversion. The red-brick yard complex dates from the mid 19th century, and its layout and appearance reflects the agricultural revolution of the 1850s and 60s. The complex includes a granary of typical East Anglian form, an earlier 19th century thatched barn of 5 bays, and a single-storied stable. The stable contains many original features, together with a complete set of 19th century painted name plates above the stable doors, and an incised drawing of a horse. Despite the historic interest of the complex, the buildings were not sufficient completeness or rarity to merit listing in their own right (S1 & S2)

Recorded as part of the Farmsteads in the Suffolk Countryside Project. This is a purely desk-based study and no site visits were undertaken. These records are not intended to be a definitive assessment of these buildings. Dating reflects their presence at a point in time on historic maps and there is potential for earlier origins to buildings and farmsteads. This project highlights a potential need for a more in depth field study of farmstead to gather more specific age data.